Tahiti’s Minister of Youth and Sports Nahema Temarii announced the surfers will be staying on the Aranui, a Romanian-made Polynesian cruise ship.

The mixed freighter, which specialises in cruises and shipping freight to the Marquesas Islands, will anchor in the bay of Vairao, a village just outside the capital of the capital of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France.

The ship will also act as a base for officials attending the Olympics, some of which have already chosen and reserved rooms at their own expense, just in front of the wave.

Pronounced "Chopoo" and with the nickname "Chopes" the wave is approximately 400 metres offshore and known as the most famous reef break in the world.

A hotel near Teahupo’o, closed for 26 years, had been considered as the first option, but the repair work could not be carried out in time.

According to Temarii, the ship was the only possible accommodation less than 45 minutes from the competition site, as required by the Paris 2024 specifications.

Paris 2024 "commissioned an impact study" and "provides actions to balance a possible carbon footprint", Temarii told French newspaper L'Equipe.

Temarii has also announced that a new judges' tower for the Olympic surfing competition is being constructed.

An aluminium structure is currently being built to replace the previous wooden tower used for competition in the World Surf League.

It will be installed facing the wave at an estimated cost of €4.6 million (£3.9 million/$5.1 million).

The Paris 2024 surfing competition will make Olympic history as the farthest medal competition to stage outside the host city with Teahupo’o located 15,716 kilometres from the French capital.

A total of 48 surfers - 24 for each gender- are due compete in the shortboard events, eight more than Tokyo 2020 when the sport made its Olympic debut.

Competition is due to start on July 27, the day after the Opening Ceremony in Paris, and is scheduled to conclude on July 30.